Realities of Christmas: Part Two

I hope you took time to read the scriptures I shared last week. This week, I want to share three realities of Christmas. I will not repeat last week's scriptures; however, I will note new ones.

FAITH

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Imagine, then, how it pleased God to find a young couple full of faith. Joseph responded obediently to heaven-sent dreams, and Mary responded to an angelic visitor. Though His message seemed impossible, she said, “I’m the Lord’s servant. Let this happen as you have said.”

The shepherds were terrified to see angelic messengers. Yet, once the angels were gone, they encouraged one another to put forth the effort to check the message for themselves.  

By faith, the wisemen made a long journey, bringing gifts to be presented to the newborn king whose star they kept in sight. When they inquired of Herod, he knew to ask the chief priests and scribes where Christ was to be born.  The religious leaders knew the scriptural answer, but put forth no effort to have faith in it.

Simeon and Anna, both devout believers, waited by faith, even into old age, to see the promised Savior and Redeemer.

 GIVING 

True faith results in a positive response. There are many examples beyond the Christmas story. In Hebrews Chapter 11, do you see how faith was expressed as Abel offered God the right sacrifice? How about when Noah built an ark, or when Abraham offered Isaac upon the altar, or Moses refused to be called the son of a king’s daughter?

OBEDIENCE

Joseph and Mary, after eight days, took Jesus to be circumcised and named. They also took Him to Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord, along with the required sacrifice. Scripture says, "When Jesus' parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Nazareth."

Do you have faith in God’s word? Do you show it by your actions? That requires a giving of self, putting forth some effort to obey. 

As James says, here’s the bottom line: I will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2:18).

Pixabay: Poinsettia, Leaves, Beautiful Flowers; Sandid.

The Weight of Waiting

In our modern times, not many of us are open to waiting. In those times, we can feel weighed down. That’s to say we feel burdened, pressed, or even depressed.

I’ve experienced times of waiting for answered prayers. One was during nine months of treatments for cancer, away from my husband due to insurance availability. Another was the day-by-day strength and wisdom needed to be a family caregiver.

I found a way to endure the weight of waiting.

It began with a daily reading of the Psalms. I had previously kind of passed them by as records of sorrow and crying out to God. This time I read them all, and found many uplifting psalms of praise and good reports.

While being treated for Stage Three Breast Cancer in 2007, Psalm 40 became a favorite. Like David, I poured out my heart to the LORD. His Presence was very real as He lifted me out of despair and gave me a song of praise (Psalm 40:1-3).  

I knew he heard my prayers, but I had to wait for His answers.  Years later, a neighbor said, “I’m sure you’re always waiting for the next shoe to drop.” I said, “No, not at all. God heard my prayers and gave me a good report, so by His grace I keep moving on.”

David knew about the pit of despair. But he also knew the way out was to trust in the LORD (v.2,4-5). Have you ever tried to walk in miry soil?  

Mud, of course, is soil mixed with water. While we may be glad for the rain, at times it may bring unexpected challenges.

David did not allow himself to get bogged down by circumstances. Not only did he have a new song to sing, but it was a delight to do God’s will while enjoying God’s mercy, loving devotion, and faithfulness (v 3, 8, 11).

The weight of waiting is a fact of life. David prayed honestly, “Hurry to help me, LORD. Don’t delay” (v. 13, 17). Meanwhile, he waited; he didn’t give up!  

Pixabay:

 

 

Your Future is Now

How many things have you read that are true from generation to generation? And if there are such everlasting words, do we want to believe them?

When I was in middle school, one Vacation Bible School (VBS) had a theme of “God’s Word, A Treasure.” The workbook cover pictured a treasure chest overflowing with jewels, but the lessons intrigued me so much that I saved that workbook for many years.

Not only that, I treasured God’s word as a teen, college student, young adult . . . and here I am in my retirement, still intrigued by God’s Word.  

A few days ago, I began studying First Thessalonians. One introductory sentence caught my attention immediately: Paul mentioned the Second Coming of Christ in every chapter.

I expected formal doctrine, but that wasn’t what I found at all. Paul simply connected the future return of Jesus to the here and now.

Consider my condensed version:

(1)   The Thessalonians had turned from idol worship to serve the living and true God, awaiting His Son from heaven, whom He had raised from the dead. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

(2)   At the coming of Jesus, and in His presence, the believers would be Paul’s glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

 (3)   He prayed that they would overflow with love for one another, and be established in blamelessness and holiness at the coming of the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

(4)   When the Lord returns, the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive will join them, to meet the Lord and be with Him forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

(5)   The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, so stay awake and sober, with your helmet of salvation, plus hope and love. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, 6, 8

But to me the best was last. He said God was able to sanctify them and keep their spirit, soul, and body blameless at the coming of Christ. “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

Get out your favorite Bible and read these scriptures for yourself: Your future is now.

Pixabay: Treasure, gold; bOred.

 

A Promise and Time

 

People think it’s strange when I take off my glasses to read. Even when I explain why, they seem skeptical. Maybe my experience is more unusual than I think.

A school eye test in sixth grade revealed my need for glasses. The doctor said I needed bifocals. Hardly any kids I knew wore glasses and I thought bifocals were for old people! I wasn’t a bit happy until I heard him say, “If you wear these now, you won’t have to wear them when you are older.”

I graduated from high school wearing bifocals . . . completed college, got married, and started teaching, still wearing bifocals. Years went by right up to retirement. That’s when I realized there’d been a change.

It happened in a photography class. I noticed people around me putting on their glasses to see close up, while I took mine off. I questioned my eye doctor at my next appointment and he confirmed, “You don’t need bifocals. You can read without them.”

Wow! After all those years the sixth-grade promise came true! Of course, promises aren’t made when something is imminent. Promises take time to fulfill.

Jesus made a promise that He was going away to prepare a place for those who believe in Him and would return later to take them to it (John 14:2-3).

Perhaps you feel about His return like I felt about my bifocals. I heard the promise, but years went by before it happened. I could do nothing to make it happen sooner. In fact, Jesus, like us, is waiting for the promised day of His return. He said only His Father knows the day and hour (Matthew 24:36).

His promise, like all others, requires time. World events have people asking, “Are these the last days? Is Jesus coming soon? Is the rapture real? Is there really going to be a Great Tribulation?” The Bible has proven true over thousands of years, so the answer to these prophecy questions is “yes.”

If you would like to learn more, I recommend *Dr. David Jeremiah of Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon, California. He has been a minister, Bible teacher, and author for over forty years, and has also written several understandable **books about end-time events.

Make yourself a promise to pursue answers to the above questions. Then take time to fulfill your promise.

*Find Dr. David Jeremiah online under Turning Point. **His books are available wherever books are sold.

 

The Value of Waiting

THE VALUE of WAITING

You've probably heard don't count your chickens before they're hatched. If you grew up on a farm you learned the value of that advice. But if you were a city girl, like me, you probably considered it a nice cliché.

A Chicken Coop in the Country 

A grade school friend often invited me to share her country life. One of her jobs was to collect eggs, but I wasn’t much help. I was so skittish around the hens that my friend would just laugh as she completed her chore.

Fertilized eggs can produce baby chicks if incubated for the proper amount of time at the right temperature. 

Getting anxious and disturbing the eggs to see if anything has happened might cause disappointment twice---once when checked prematurely and later, when they have failed to hatch.

Waiting is Part of Life

Brooding hens know the value of waiting as they sit on eggs which will produce offspring. 

But humans brood, too. We call it being anxious, moody or worried as we wait for something to happen.

Goals, for example, need time to hatch. Have you ever set a goal and started working toward it only to think nothing is developing, so why am I wasting my time? 

Without results in your expected time frame, you begin to think your goal no longer has value.

You might be brooding over educational or career goals. Or perhaps it’s the development of a meaningful relationship. You’ve tried to allow time for it to hatch, but it seems lifeless. 

Since there’s no time chart for human relationships, you brood over it wondering what should I do?

Doctors, Treatments, Reports to Review

I once brooded over a medical diagnosis and long-term treatment plan. As friends and family prayed for me, they would ask, “How are you doing?”

While reviewing medical reports and doctors’ comments, I asked the same question. I had hope for recovery, but my expectations were premature. 

More time was needed to produce positive results.

Giving up was not an option, so I decided to hatch good health by following the advice of the Psalmist: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

You Are Not the Only One Waiting 

Wait was the word of the day so I took it to heart.

Farmers are not the only ones who have to wait for results. People everywhere know that fulfillment of hopes and expectations take time.

Allow yourself to learn the value of waiting.